Fox River Natural Resource Damage Assessment | F18AS00023

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00023

The Fox River Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) funding opportunity is run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, on behalf of the Fox River and Green Bay Natural Resource Trustees. Its purpose is to pay for restoration work that helps make up for injuries to natural resources caused by historical releases of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Lower Fox River and Green Bay in Wisconsin. Unlike many federal grant programs, the money being awarded here comes from settlement dollars paid by parties responsible for the contamination, and those funds are then directed into projects that restore, replace, or enhance affected natural resources and the public benefits they provide.

Projects funded through this opportunity are expected to line up with the Trustees existing restoration framework, specifically the 2003 Joint Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay Area and the 2016 Restoration Plan Update. The legal authority behind the effort is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), which is commonly used to address environmental contamination and to support restoration tied to natural resource damages. In practical terms, that means proposals need to fit the NRDA restoration objectives rather than operate like a general environmental or conservation grant where applicants define priorities on their own.

A major point to understand is that this is not a conventional, open solicitation where applicants respond to a standard request for proposals posted on Grants.gov. Instead, project ideas are developed and refined strategically in coordination with the Trustee Council. Interested applicants are expected to talk with the restoration coordinator early and discuss their concept before submitting a full application. After the Trustees review and select projects, the Fish and Wildlife Service issues grant awards. The program may also use single-source (non-competitive) grant agreements when appropriate, relying on the internal justification pathway referenced as 505 DM 2.14.B.4 and the program criteria described in the opportunity materials.

The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00023) under CFDA 15.658, with an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000 per award and an expectation of around 15 awards. The original posting date is November 15, 2017, with an original closing date of September 30, 2018. Even though those dates reflect the historical listing, the bigger takeaway is how the program is structured: selection is relationship-driven and plan-driven, with projects shaped alongside the Trustees to ensure they directly advance the NRDA restoration priorities for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay.

Eligibility is broad and includes most common public, nonprofit, tribal, academic, and private-sector entities. Specifically eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled colleges and universities as well as private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. Even with broad eligibility, the program is not designed for cold submissions. The Trustees want early coordination so that proposed work fits the restoration plans, targets the right resource injuries, and complements the overall strategy for ecological recovery and public use improvements tied to PCB impacts.

In short, this opportunity funds on-the-ground natural resource restoration in the Lower Fox River and Green Bay area using settlement funds, guided by established Trustee restoration plans. The pathway to funding is collaborative rather than purely competitive, so the most important first step for any interested organization is to consult the requirements and selection criteria and speak with the restoration coordinator to shape a project idea that clearly supports the Trustees NRDA objectives.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fox River Natural Resource Damage Assessment" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.658.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 15, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for F18AS00023

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